Histochemical observations in Piper malgassicum (Piperaceae) with a special focus on the epidermis

This is the first contribution about the histochemistry of vegetative and reproductive aerial organs in the genus Piper L. Piper malgassicum accumulates alkaloids and terpenes in the epidermis and the underlying layers of parenchyma, both in the leaves, in the stems and in anthers. Some idioblasts appear to contain a large amount of secondary metabolites. The micro-anatomical analysis showed peculiar secretory structures both in the leaves, in the anthers and in the ovary. Several lipid aggregates, alkaloid droplets and calcium oxalate crystals were observed in leaves and stems, indicating their role in defence strategies, mechanical support, and pollinators attraction. In the anthers, we observed elaioplasts whose content suggest an alternative and indirect function in pollination and defence against micro-organisms. Besides, some lipid aggregates surrounded by microtubules, detected in the anthers, were recognized as lipotubuloids. The tapetum was of secretory type. Alkaloids and terpenes were widely distributed in the plant confirming the important biological role of this type of biomolecules and its functional range. In the anthers, terpene and polyphenol inclusions appeared particularly abundant in the epidermal layer, whereas calcium oxalate crystals were observed close to the ovule in the ovary at maturity.

Peptide bioregulator amprost® in the correction of pathospermia in various types of secretory infertility

The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical and laboratory effectiveness of the peptide bioregulator Samprost® in the correction of pathospermia in men with secretory type of infertility caused by chronic nonbacterial prostatitis (CNP) and varicocele in the postoperative period.Materials and methods. The multicenter study included 30 patients between 23 and 51 years of age: 15 patients with CNP (1st group) and 15 men with infertility due to varicocele in the postoperative period (2nd group). Patients of all groups received Samprost® for 20 days in the form of intramuscular injections of 5 mg daily. The study design provided for a traditional clinical, laboratory and specialized examination with the study of the level of antisperm antibodies, the study of sperm DNA fragmentation by the TUNEL method, the assessment of oxidative stress, a cryotolerance test, and an electron microscopic examination of the ejaculate. Statistical processing of the material was carried out using the paired Student's t test for dependent samples, and the Wilcoxon nonparametric T test was also used. The calculations were performed using the SigmaPlot 12.5 program.Results. The average age of the study participants was 36.91 ± 4.5 years (23-51 years). Among the concomitant and past diseases, the most common were patients with recurrent varicocele, May-Turner syndrome, varicose veins of the pelvis. When evaluating the effectiveness, the results of the study showed a more significant effect of the drug Samprost® in the group of patients with CNP. This concerned an increase in ejaculate volume by 11.5 %, an increase in sperm concentration by 19.4 %. Progressive sperm motility increased more in the group of patients with varicocele by 12.2 %, compared with the CNP group - 11.4 %. Similar data were obtained during cryotest.After 20-day use of the Samprost® a significant decrease in the level of free radicals in the ejaculate was noted: by 2.5 times in the group with CNP and by 2.3 in the group of patients with varicocele. Analysis of these indicators may indicate an antioxidant effect on the effect on the sperm cell, which is under serious stress in the fight against free radicals. This assumption is also confirmed by the EMIS data, which showed a positive dynamics in the number of intact heads of normal form with a normal structure of chromatin and acrosome, the number of spermatozoa with insufficiently condensed immature chromatin.Conclusion. Samprost® is an effective and safe drug for patients with secretory type of male infertility. Based on the methods of statistical analysis, including statistically significant differences in the study groups, Samprost® is more effective in patients with secretory type of male infertility in the case of CNP than in patients with varicocele in the postoperative period. More significant changes relate to the volume, concentration of sperm viability and a decrease in the level of free radicalsThe 20-day course of Samprost® increases progressive sperm motility during cryotest in patients with varicocele and CNP and can be used for substantiated preparation of patients for gamete cryopreservation and its use in preparatory assisted reproductive technologies programs using intra cytoplasmic sperm injection. A decrease in DNA fragmentation and the received electron microscopic examination of the sperm data indicate a possible influence of Samprost® on sperm morphology and require further research in this area.

Nonsecretory Multiple Myeloma in a Seropositive Hepatitis B Patient with Thrombocytosis: A Case Report

Non-secretory Multiple Myeloma is a rare variant of multiple myeloma with similar clinical and radiological findings. It is characterized by the absence/lack of monoclonal M proteins in the serum and/or urine. An early diagnosis can help in alleviating its adverse outcomes. We report a case of a 56-year-old female presenting with generalized body weakness and swelling, pain in right lower chest and anorexia. The patient was a known case of hepatitis B, treated a month ago. There was an incidental finding of thrombocytosis. Serum biochemistry and protein electrophoresis showed no findings in favor of Multiple Myeloma. Bence Jones proteins were negative in the urine. X-ray revealed few lytic lesions on calvaria of the skull. Bone marrow biopsy helped in diagnosing the patient as a case of non-secretory type of multiple myeloma highlighting the important role of this modality in saving the life of a patient through early diagnosis.

Hysterectomy and bilateral salpingoophorectomy in female-to-male transsexual: does testosterone induce anatomopatological changes? A retrospective study

Background Testosterone replacement treatment as part of gender reassignment therapy has repercussions on the final pathological result of the hysterectomies that are performed. The objective of this review is to analyze the surgical pieces of hysterectomies performed on FTM patients (female-to-male) and to describe possible changes related to testosterone. There are few studies and with a low number of patients where this possible repercussion is addressed. Methods A retrospective study was carried out, which included 117 patients between the ages of 21 and 56, operated on between 2010 and 2019, with at least an average duration of treatment of 5 years before gender reassignment surgery. Main outcome measure were changes in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizin hormone (LH), testosterone (TST) and estradiol in blood, both preoperatively and postoperatively. Also the differente types of endometrium and ovaries found in histerectomy pieces. Results the pathological study revealed that 95 (80.3%) cases showed an atrophic endometrium, 7 (6%) cases an endometrium with secretory-type changes, and 15 (13.7%) cases with weakly proliferating endometrium. Conclusions Our data revealed that the most frequent histology after chronic administration of parenteral testosterone was such compatible with atrophic endometrium, coinciding with what has been published in the literature up to now. More long-term studies on the effects of parenteral testosterone are still needed.

FEATURES OF ENDOMETRIUM STRUCTURE IN ALCOHOL-ABUSING HIV-INFECTED INDIVIDUALS

Background. Patients with comorbid pathology occupy leading positions in the practice of a doctor of any specialty especially in patients with HIV. Reproductive system is known to be the gateway for viruses. This fact could explain the severity of changes developing in the female reproductive system infected with HIV, in particular in the endometrium. The purpose of this study was to assess morphological changes in the endometrium caused by the combined effects of HIV infection and chronic alcoholism. Materials and methods: The study included sectional material taken from 60 women of reproductive age (20-40 years). They were all divided into two groups. The first group (30 people) consisted of HIV-positive individuals who, according to a survey of relatives and according to an autopsy (the main symptom is the presence of alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver), alcohol abuse was confirmed. The following parameters were determined: the average diameter of the endometrial glands (proliferative type), the minimum diameter of the endometrial glands (proliferative type), the maximum diameter of the endometrial glands (proliferative type), wall thickness (proliferative type), the relative volume of the epithelium (proliferative type), the average diameter of the glands (secretory type), the minimum diameter of the glands (secretory type), the maximum diameter of the glands (secretory type), the relative volume of the epithelium (secretory type), the thickness of the epithelium. Results. the average diameter of the endometrial glands (proliferative type) decreased from 51.71 ± 2.90 x 10-6 m in the comparison group to 39.42 ± 2.35 x 10-6 m in the HIV-infected group, which was 23.77%. The minimum diameter of the endometrial glands (proliferative type) reduced from 32.47 ± 1.83 x10-6 m to 27.13 ± 1.73x10-6 m (16.45%), the maximum diameter from 72.14 ± 2.21 x10-6 m to 63.84 ± 3.29 x10-6 m (11.5%). the relative volume of the epithelium (proliferative type) decreased by 5.41% (from 54.43 ± 1.79% in the study group to 49.02 ± 2.65% in the control group). The thickness of the uterine wall was also significantly reduced from 15.18 ± 1.60 x10-6 m to 14.52 ± 1.19 x10-6 m, which was 4.35%. The maximum volume of glands (secretory type) changed from 127.98 ± 2.10 x10-6 m to 97.18 ± 3.12 x10-6 m (24%). Changes by 3.6% were also observed when examining the wall thickness (from 13.02 ± 1.36 x10-6 m to 12.55 ± 1.68 x10-6 m). Conclusion. The study evaluated features of endometrial restructuring in alcohol-abusing HIV-infected women.

HEREDITARY ENDOCRINE TUMOURS: CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: The roles of AIP and GPR101 in familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA)

Familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) is one of the most frequent conditions associated with an inherited presentation of pituitary tumors. FIPA can present with pituitary adenomas of any secretory/non-secretory type. Mutations in the gene for the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) have been identified in approximately 20% of FIPA families and are the most frequent cause (29%) of pituitary gigantism. Pituitary tumors in FIPA are larger, occur at a younger age and display more aggressive characteristics and evolution than sporadic adenomas. This aggressiveness is especially marked in FIPA kindreds with AIP mutations. Special attention should be paid to young patients with pituitary gigantism and/or macroadenomas, as AIP mutations are prevalent in these groups. Duplications on chromosome Xq26.3 involving the gene GPR101 lead to X-linked acrogigantism (X-LAG), a syndrome of pituitary gigantism beginning in early childhood; three kindreds with X-LAG have presented in the setting of FIPA. Management of pituitary adenomas in the setting of FIPA, AIP mutations and GPR101 duplications is often more complex than in sporadic disease due to early onset disease, aggressive tumor growth and resistance to medical therapy.

Evidence of a significant secretory-IgA-dominant SARS-CoV-2 immune response in human milk following recovery from COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2, commonly termed COVID-19 for the illness it causes, has infected >3.2 million people, including >220,000 deaths. Human milk IgG originates mainly from blood, therefore a SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibody (Ab) response in milk would be expected (1). However, IgG comprises only ~2% of milk Ab, with most milk Abs originating from mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue (1). Therefore, the extent of the milk immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is unknown (2). This response is critical for infants and young children, who tend not to suffer greatly from COVID-19 pathology but are likely responsible for significant virus transmission (3-5). Perhaps even more significant is the fact that milk Abs could be purified and used as a COVID-19 therapeutic, given they would likely be of the secretory (s) class and highly resistant to proteolytic degradation in the respiratory tissue (2, 6). In this preliminary report, 15 milk samples obtained from donors previously-infected with SARS-CoV-2 as well as 10 negative control samples obtained prior to December 2019 were tested for reactivity to the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein by ELISAs measuring IgA, IgG, IgM, and secretory Ab. Eighty percent of samples obtained post-COVID-19 exhibited IgA reactivity, and all these samples were also positive for secretory Ab reactivity, suggesting the IgA is predominantly sIgA. COVID-19 group mean OD values of undiluted milk were significantly greater for IgA (p<0.0001), secretory-type Abs (p<0.0001), and IgG (p=0.017), but not for IgM, compared to pre-pandemic group mean values. Overall, these data indicate that there is strong sIgA-dominant SARS-CoV-2 immune response in human milk after infection in the majority of individuals, and that a comprehensive study of this response is highly warranted.

Prostate adenocarcinoma of secretory type with wide expression of p63 and negativity of the basal marker Ck5/6: Rare subtype of adenocarcinoma of secretory origin and to be differentiated from basal cell carcinoma. Review of literature

We report a case of prostate carcinoma with wide nuclear expression for p63. These cases are rare and show atypical cytoplasmic/membrane expression of Ck5/6, alpha-methylacyl coenzyme A racemase and high-molecular-weight cytokeratin. It is rare to find this type of carcinoma with negativity for Ck5/6. We would like to present this case to avoid a diagnostic pitfall and with review of literature to understand the origin of this rare subtype.

Morphological substantiation of pathogenetic therapyof external genital endometriosis

With the help of morphological study examined endometrioid heterotopias and eutopic endometrium in external genital endometriosis. Histological examination of surgical specimens of endometrial cancer were detected in endometrioid heterotopia, in eutopic endometrium occurred glandular-cystic hyperplasia of the proliferative and secretory type. Have been identified in the heterotopias expressed angiomatosis in patients with III-IV stages of endometriosis. It is proved that inflammatory changes in endometrioid heterotopias more pronounced with stage I-II stages of endometriosis, whereas hyalinosis sclerosis and how the outcomes of the process prevalent in patients with stage III-IV. The difference parameters in ectopic and eutopic endometrium shows marked morphological heterogeneity of both nuclear and cytoplasmic structures. Morphological changes in the heterotopias are intended to justify Dienogest (2 mg) for the treatment of external genital endometriosis.